Special election May 21 to break tie for aldermen

A special election has been called to break the tie that occurred in the Edgar Springs North Ward aldermen race last week.

Paul Hackbarth

A special election has been called to break the tie that occurred in the Edgar Springs North Ward aldermen race last week.

Phelps County Clerk Carol Bennett informed The Rolla Daily News Tuesday afternoon that the special election will be held Tuesday, May 21. Polls in the Edgar Springs North Ward will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day.

The county clerk’s office also will be open Saturday morning, May 18, for absentee voting.

Absentee ballots for the special election are currently available at the county clerk’s office at the Phelps County Courthouse, 200 N. Main St., Rolla.

In the April 2 general municipal election, a tie resulted between the only two candidates who filed for the seat — Amanda Melton and incumbent Georgia Lucas, who each received six votes. There were no write-in votes cast in the ward.

According to state statutes, when a tie occurs, candidates are given three possibilities to break the tie. One option is for one of the candidates to decline the seat and let the other candidate take the position.

A second option is for a special election to take place, and a third option is for the winner to be drawn by lot if both candidates agree.

Bennett was informed last week after the election that both candidates had initially agreed to choose a winner by picking names out of a hat.

However, Tuesday morning, Lucas told Bennett that she wanted to hold another election.

Holding a special election will cost both the county and Edgar Springs taxpayers. Bennett said Edgar Springs will front the cost of paying for a legal announcement of the election in The Rolla Daily News and the county will have to pay for election judges, a certification team and ballots. Bennett said paper ballots will be used to cut down on the expense of this special election.

Aldermen in Edgar Springs serve two-year terms.

Duke Fire District

Another tie that resulted in the April 2 election was for one of the seats on the Duke Rural Fire Protection District Board of Trustees.

While there was initially going to be a special election to break this tie, both candidates have since agreed to choose a winner by lot.

Voters in the district cast ballots for two open seats on the board. Wayne Strohschein, the only candidate to file in the race, received 14 votes in the Phelps County part of the district and 10 votes in the portion of the district that lies in Pulaski County.

For the second seat, there was a tie between Randall Lane and Doug Henry, who each received two votes. The winner of the second seat will be drawn by lot this Friday, April 12, at 8 a.m. at the county courthouse.